Many Christians are paralysed by a belief that they do not fit the mould of a person God would use. They have an image of the kind of person the Lord would choose to be His servant, and see themselves as being a long way off. But when we turn to God's Word, we discover a delightful truth. God uses people of all kinds, shapes, and colours, and has a unique purpose for each one of us. Consider the first three judges:

Othniel (Judges 3:7-11) came from a family led by an outstanding believer (v. 9). He was a skilful, courageous, and proven leader, and a man of personal faith. But the key to his accomplishments is found in verse 10: ″the Spirit of the LORD came upon him″. Othniel did not derive his strength from his family background or his character, but from the Holy Spirit's enablement.

Ehud (vv. 12-30) was a man with a limitation-he was ″a left-handed man″ (v. 15). This was considered a weakness in battle: a left-hander in the ranks would disrupt the entire formation. Ehud could have been devastated by this problem. Instead, he not only accepted it, but turned it into a tool to be used for God. He concealed his sword on the right side of his body-something no one would expect-and was able to elude normal security precautions (v. 16) and kill the king of Moab.

Shamgar (v. 31) was a peasant, as his weapon suggests-an ox goad is used by peasants working with oxen in the fields. He was also a man of courage: only a very brave person takes on 600 men armed with nothing but an ox goad. We are given no further details about how he performed such an amazing feat; all we know is that Shamgar's courage must have been born of his faith in God.

God uses different kinds of people: He uses Othniels, Ehuds, Shamgars, and He will use you too if you would only trust in Him. God uses people who draw their strength from Him: those who wait for the Lord will exchange their weakness for His strength (Isaiah 40:29-31). And God uses people who step out in faith and trust Him: the three judges had the courage to take a risk for God, and were bold enough to trust in God's promises of victory and confront the enemy.

Whoever you are, God has a place for you. Your limitations are not a problem for Him. Accept yourself-not your sins, but your limitations. God does. Step out in faith to see Him accept you as a unique individual and work through you for His glory.